Vancouver Local News Digests

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

Summerland residents return to neighbourhoods devastated by the Bald Range wildfire. Rick and Nan Cogbill found four immediately neighbouring homes destroyed while their own survived; the province has committed to an after-action review of wildfire response and is seeking public feedback on prevention and large-scale evacuations. ↗
Man critically injured in targeted Maple Ridge shooting overnight. Maple Ridge RCMP say the 56-year-old victim was found in a vehicle outside a home in the 11400 block of 236 Street after shots around 10 p.m.; the Serious Crime Unit has taken over and the victim remains in hospital in critical condition. ↗

Urban planner says province faces multimillion-dollar loss on Granville SRO purchase. Michael Geller estimated the B.C. government may lose about half of the roughly $55 million paid for the 110-room Howard Johnson at 1176 Granville Street, noting the current combined assessed value is about $27.5 million; the site still houses tenants despite a pledge to close it. ↗
Vancouver Island farm family selling up, moving 6,000 km to Nova Scotia because land costs outstrip condo prices. Celina Knuff said a one-bedroom condo price on Vancouver Island would buy a 50-acre farm in Nova Scotia; Knuff plans to move her animals, pets and citrus trees this September and cited island farmland exceeding $100,000 an acre. ↗
Cell-phone delivery scam has cost Canadians millions; B.C. resident lost $4,000. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says over $17 million in reported losses to service fraud in the first six months of 2026; B.C. resident Jeannie Moss says she owes Rogers more than $4,000 after impersonators convinced her to return a device using a prepaid label. ↗

Vancouver stranger-assault suspect Dylan Brandon Gaita, 29, denied bail. B.C. provincial court Judge Deanne Gaffar detained Gaita at a Tuesday hearing; he faces four counts of assault and two counts of assault causing bodily harm and has been in custody since his re-arrest in late June. ↗
Two B.C. pro‑Khalistan activists received police duty-to-warn notices about death threats. Manjinder Singh of Abbotsford and Narinder Singh Randhawa said RCMP and Surrey police warned them last week and on the weekend respectively; the RCMP would not confirm individual cases but said duty-to-warn notifications have been used nationally involving South Asian community members. ↗

UNBC launches engineering PhD focused on northern environmental and resource management. ↗
Sask. premier Scott Moe welcomes U.S. decision against 50% tariffs, says tariffs harmed a Saskatchewan sawmill. ↗
Saskatchewan courts to allow eagle feathers for oaths at 13 courthouses, 14 feathers gifted. ↗
Ladner pitcher Tugboat Wilkinson signed to begin major-league career, profile piece. ↗
B.C. roadside-attraction contest reaches Interior finals, regional winners named. ↗
Farmers give mixed reviews to proposed B.C. ALR food-processing changes, reactions vary. ↗
Amsterdam police received 500+ tips about “Lucky,” a man with possible Canadian ties, found May 10, 2023. ↗
Three major outages renew concerns about northwest B.C. communications network, local services interrupted. ↗
Tumbler Ridge school demolition called a ‘new chapter’ after a shooting, residents react. ↗
Coroner’s inquest hears witness testimony about RCMP shooting, details presented at inquest. ↗